LinkedIn today: Tour what this service can do for you

LinkedIn has launched a beta product called "LinkedIn Today"--a social news service that aggregates the top headlines and stories related to your industry and based on what your connections share.

FRAMINGHAM, 11 MARCH 2011 - LinkedIn has launched a beta product called "LinkedIn Today"--a social news service that aggregates the top headlines and stories related to your industry and based on what your connections share.

According to Liz Reaves Walker, senior product manager at LinkedIn, the company hopes to make this platform the go-to source for users to keep current on industry news. "For people who are short on time, we think this is a great product to help you get a sense for what matters," she says. LinkedIn Today launched to 22 industries and is also now available as a feature on the LinkedIn iPhone app.

The announcement follows LinkedIn's admission in its initial public offering document that "a substantial majority of our members do not visit our website on a monthly basis, and a substantial majority of our page views are generated by a minority of our members."

"There has never been a 'sticky' part of the site to keep members coming back each and every day. Once LinkedIn Today is more prominently featured on the homepage for users, it could take them away from other [news] sites and keep them using LinkedIn more frequently."

Here's a rundown of how LinkedIn Today works, plus a look at the mobile app.

LinkedIn Today: Your "Front Page"

Visit linkedin.com/today or click the News tab from your LinkedIn homepage to access it. Note that not everyone's "LinkedIn Today" front page will look the same. The stories are aggregated based on the industries with which you are associated or have expressed interest.

The main story at the top is the most-shared story within the LinkedIn community. For some, you'll see when the post was first shared, in which industries it's trending and which of your first and second connections have posted it. Below the main story are the other top stories that you can browse.

In the photo thumbnail of the story, you'll see a blue button with a number--in this case, 772--which denotes how many people on LinkedIn have shared the story. Clicking the number will open a page where you can drill down on and filter who shared the story, what they're saying, their company or industry and from where they are.

You can share any of the top stories with your connections and/or on Twitter by clicking the Share button at the top of the news story, or click Save to bookmark the story to read later. You can read all saved stories by selecting Saved from the navigation toolbar above.